A Friend In Need
by FutureMrAstin
Summary: My view of what happened in All Or Nothing when Ryder quit the Glee Club. Finn offers Ryder advice. Finn/Ryder bromance, mentions of Ryley and Rynique.


This story I wrote a few months ago, and since I just joined today, I thought I'd share it with everyone. This is my view of what happened in All Or Nothing after Ryder found out who his catfish was. This story is a one-shot and contains Finn/Ryder (Finder? Fyder?) bromance and mentions of Ryley and Rynique (or if you want to get technical, Ryder/Katie). I heard that Finn was supposed to be in the episode and it had to be re-written because of Cory going to rehab, so I figured I'd put him in because I could imagine him in this situation. So think of it as a missing/rewritten scene.

**A Friend In Need**

"We don't have anything. I'm not going to punch you in the face, but I'm also not going to talk to you ever again."

And with that said, he turned his back on Unique, who was probably crying by now, but good for her. _How could I have been so stupid?_ Ryder thought to himself as he made his way to the bathroom. How did he not realise that it was obviously Unique all along? It seemed fairly obvious now. A part of him felt guilty for accusing some of the others of being the catfish, but they too had lied. Particularly Marley, the way she stood up for Unique, even though Ryder had to admit it was very brave of her to do so. _No, stop_, Ryder thought. _Stop thinking about her. She's taken by Jake, and you're not going back to Glee Club. Just forget it._

Upon entering the bathroom, Ryder felt like he was going to be sick. He felt as if a knife had been stuck in his backside. He quickly did what he had to do and was about to make his way out when three jocks stood in the doorway.

"Well, well, well, look who it is," the middle jock sneered. Ryder knew him from the football team; his name was Brendan Clovers and he was the new Quarterback. "It's the singing dork."

"Back off," Ryder said, clearly not in the mood to talk to anyone right now. "You don't have to worry about me anymore. I quit the Glee Club."

Brendan looked pleased. "Alright!" he cheered. "I'm surprised you lasted so long in there. Even more than that Puckerman dude. Still, it comes as no surprise. His pathetic brother lasted three years in that dump."

Ryder didn't know Puck that well, but Jake was still his best friend, or at least he _was_, so Ryder did not appreciate the negativity. "Look, what the hell's your problem? I've got enough to deal with, alright?" He tried to push his way out, but one of Brendan's friends grabbed him by his shirt.

"Why _did _you leave anyway?" Brendan asked, a smile on his face.

"Long story short, I got stabbed in the back," Ryder sighed. That _was_ what happened and he was only telling the truth.

"Well you don't have to worry," replied Brendan, "because we're your real friends. We're the cool kids. We don't stab anyone in the back. And now that you've left those losers, you can hang out with us now. We're a _team_, right?"

"I guess..."

"Good. Tomorrow's Regionals, right?" Ryder nodded. "Well, tomorrow we're going to give them a Regionals they're never going to forget."

"Do what you want," Ryder said. "I don't care. Now excuse me, I have to go."

"See you tomorrow," Brendan sneered.

On his way out, Ryder saw Marley making her way out. She smiled at him, and he was about to smile back when Unique came up to Marley, forcing a weak smile at Ryder. He just couldn't look at her, so he avoided making eye contact and walked away.

"Ryder!" Marley called after him, but he ignored her. "Come back! We've been practising all week, you can't just leave now!"

"I can and I have!" he replied, not looking back.

He needed somewhere where he could sit down and have some time to himself. Before, that place had been Glee Club, but he couldn't go there now. His parents weren't much help; they both had jobs and were very focused on work and didn't have time for him. He needed a friend. The only friends he ever had were in Glee Club, except Brendan and his friends. But even they seemed rather cocky to Ryder.

He sat down in the changing room, pulling a bottle of water out of his bag.

"Dude, you okay?"

Ryder turned to see Finn come up to him and sit down beside him. It seemed that Finn had been helping Coach Beiste with football, as he was wearing a PE shirt and looked rather sweaty.

Ryder shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know what the hell's going on. One minute they're your friends, the next..." He imitated a knife being stuck in his back. "I don't know anymore."

Finn nodded. "I heard what happened. Marley told me the whole story. And you want to know something?"

"What?"

"I've been there. I know how you feel."

"You don't."

"Oh, believe me, I do. You remember Quinn, who came to help with Sectionals?" Ryder nodded. "Well, when I was your age, Quinn got pregnant, and as I was her boyfriend at the time, she made me believe that I was the father. Then, just before Sectionals, I found out that she was lying all along and the real baby daddy was Puck, Jake's brother. So I said some things, because I was pissed off, and I quit the Glee Club. I just couldn't look at her, or him, or any of them after all of that."

"Wow, dude," Ryder said, "I'm sorry."

"S'alright," Finn replied. "We're all over it now. We're all friends. We're all a family. That's what I realised myself at the time. If anything, Glee Club helped me accept myself for who I am. It helped me find Rachel, my soulmate. If Mr. Schue hadn't blackmailed me into joining in the first place..."

"Who, hold the phone, he _what?!"_

Finn snickered. "He made out I was smoking marijuana because he was looking for a male lead so badly, and apparently he'd heard me singing in the shower."

"Dude, he's the coolest teacher ever!"

"I know, right? But anyway, if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have met the one person who mattered the most in my life. What about you?"

"No," Ryder simply said. "Nobody." He didn't want to bring up the whole Marley and Jake thing right now.

"Unique?"

"I don't want to talk about Unique. It was him... her... all along. I was just too much of a dumbass not to realise it."

"Is it because she's... because she has a..."

"Ye... no! It's not that. If he... she... wants to dress up like a girl, that's cool. I told her I'm cool with it. The point is, she _lied_! She used someone else's picture, she started sending me flirtatious texts... I don't even like her! Well... I _like_ her, just not..." He sighed. "I guess my mom was right when she said that you can't trust people you meet online."

"Stranger Danger," Finn nodded. "Well, I know for a fact that everyone in Glee Club misses you. If you quit now, there'll only be eleven people left on the team. We need _twelve_ to compete, Ryder. We need _you_."

"No you don't. Like I told Marley, you have enough decent talent as it is. You have great singers, great dancers..."

"Remind me who cast you as Danny Zuko in the play."

"You did, but..."

"Exactly. If I knew you were hopeless, I wouldn't have cast you. Come on, dude, not even I can do a pelvis dance like you. It even beats out Sam's White Chocolate moves. And the Glee Club needs a drummer. I have college, I can't stick around forever."

Ryder laughed.

"Tell you what, I'll let you sleep on it. You'll need it."

Ryder nodded and began to make his way out, feeling slightly better than before.

"Oh, and one more thing. When Mr. Schue came to talk to me just before Sectionals, you know what he said to me? You can't always get what you want."

"Right," Ryder said. "Thanks."

Finn smiled as the younger boy left. _Better go wash off,_ he thought to himself.

* * *

The following day, Ryder went to stuff his bag in his locker when a voice greeted him.

"All set?"

Ryder turned to see Brendan and his friends standing in front of him.

"We've put a few slushie buckets above the stage. As soon as they finish their last song, you pull the string, and POW!"

Just before Ryder could reply, a voice called out, "What do you think you're doing?"

Ryder and the others turned to see Finn approaching.

Brendan sneered. "Well, well, well, look who turned up. Face it, Hudson, we're not under your command anymore. Especially since you started supporting those pansies. You can't do anything to us."

"I can't, but Coach Beiste will," Finn spat. "So either shut your pie hole or I'll tell."

Brendan did as he was told. Both Finn and Ryder knew that some of the jocks were scared of Coach Beiste. Not wanting to start any fights, Brendan and his friends quickly walked away.

"Mr. Schue told me to give you this," Finn said, holding out a pile of clothes for Ryder to take. "We'll be going on in an hour and we're still one man down. The slot's still open."

"Thanks," Ryder took the clothes. "You could always go on, you know."

"Nah, that's way too small for me," Finn laughed. "And it has your name on it. Look at the label." Ryder looked inside the label of the cardigan, and sure enough his name was written on the inside label at the back of the neck. "It's your choice. If I don't see you there, I'll probably see you at football practice."

"Right," Ryder replied. "Thanks, dude."

Finn smiled and patted him on the shoulder before heading back to the choir room.

Ryder looked at his Regionals costume. Finn was right, you can't always get what you want. And like Ryder himself, Finn had found his true place within New Directions. _Maybe I was a bit too harsh_, he thought. Technically, he was only mad at Unique, and like Finn said, the group would not be able to compete with just eleven people.

He knew what he had to do.


End file.
